My artwork is a deep reflection of myself and how my mind works. The dream-like images in my photography are all a collection of my inner thoughts and feelings and how I want to make my mark in this world. I do things very delicately. My style is very soft, sometimes formless, and whimsical. That is exactly my personality as well. I’m not saying I’m formless, because there are definitely a lot of layers here. I am just a soft-spoken, sometimes introverted person. Basically I’m just trying to put myself out there in my work, and show the world who I really am through 120 film.
I will admit that I’m a daydreamer and these are like mental images and notes of dreams or daydreams that I’ve experienced. But just because I day dream doesn’t mean I’m not a hard worker because when I do something I don’t stop until It’s executed properly.
So many people and things have influenced me, and my artwork through out my time on this earth. One being an intellectual by the name of Lizabeth Whipps who I am so fortunate to call my art teacher. Mrs. Whipps has opened my mind and taught me how to “see”. Another big influence on my dream-like style was the movie “The Science Of Sleep”. The dream-like fabrics and textures really gave me the idea for my shoot, which lead to another and eventually a whole collection of work. Some of my favorite dream-like, creepy artists are Salvador Dali and Mann Ray. Both of those men capture the essence of a dream in their own personal ways and I love that. That type of stuff just really turns me on. Another thing is books’. So many books have just really got my imagination flowing. The two that stick out the most are “The Catcher In The Rye” and “The Perks Of Being A Wallflower”. Those two books really take you inside of peoples minds and I cannot get enough of that. The human mind is so mysterious and captivating. A dream is like thinking uncontrollably while sleeping, and that is why it just sucks me up and I can’t get over that type of stuff.
One other thing, coming to Stivers has really impacted my life. Being surrounded by art every day for six years really made me the artist I am today. I’ve really learned a lot at my high school and it really showed me how to think with my art, not just about it. I know why I do things and I do not do them just because it looks good. Everything in my work means something to me